Traffic at Cracker Barrel The establishments have yet to fully recover from the backlash over their failed rebranding last year, despite signs of improvement, company executives said during the restaurant chain’s latest earnings conference call.
The company is seeking to put itself on firmer financial footing after sales fell in response to a failed rebranding that included removing the “old” from the company logo and changes to the interior layout of the restaurant chain, which had long included a general store.
Cracker Barrel announced Monday that CEO Julie Massino will step down this summer and David Deno is expected to take over as CEO on August 10. The move follows a slow recovery from the attempted rebranding.
JULIE MASINO, CEO of CRACKER BARREL, Resigns
Julie Masino, CEO of Cracker Barrel, is resigning effective August 10. (Jeenah Moon/Reuters)
The company noted during its third quarter winnings Last month, although traffic was improving from the recent trend, it was still lower than the previous year.
Masino said: “Third quarter results exceeded our expectations, driven by our operational and cost actions, while customer metrics continue to improve and position us for further traffic recovery.
Teleprinter Security Last Change Change % CBRL OLD COUNTRY CRACKER BARREL INC. STORE 52.43 -1.28 -2.38% CRACKER BARREL RETURN GAINS STEAM AS LOYAL CUSTOMER SAYS RETURN VISIT ‘FEELS LIKE COMING HOME’
“Comparable store restaurant sales declined 2.6%, which includes a traffic decline of 6.7%,” said Cracker Barrel CFO Craig Pommells. “Even if traffic remains negative, we are encouraged by the gradual improvement in the underlying trend.”
Pommells said that “taking into account the variability between the third and fourth quarters of last year and the resulting comparison to the current year, the underlying traffic trend continues to show gradual improvement.”
The company noted in its third-quarter results last month that while traffic was improving from the recent trend, it was still lower than a year earlier. (Gregory Walton/AFP via Getty Images)
Cracker Barrel action is down about 18% from last year, remaining well below its pre-rebranding levels.
However, it has made significant progress to return to those levels this year; the company’s stock is up 105% since the start of 2026.
The company has recently taken steps to improve its financial performance.
CRACKER BARREL SALES AND TRAFFIC CONTINUE TO Clash MONTHS AFTER REBRAND FAILURE
Last week, Cracker Barrel announced that it would sell some of its Restaurant Properties as well as the exit of its Maple Street Business Company business. It sold the Maple Street brand and 35 of its locations to Biscuit Belly LLC, with Cracker Barrel closing the remaining 16 Maple Street restaurants.
Cracker Barrel announced last week that it would exit its Maple Street Business Company operations. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The company also entered into a sale-leaseback agreement involving 26 locations owned by it, which generated approximately $77 million in net proceeds that it planned to use to pay down debt, while continuing to operate the restaurants by leasing the properties from the new owner.
“A brand is not what management wants it to be,” said brand expert Bruce Turkel. “That’s what customers believe.”
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Sophia Compton of FOX Business contributed to this report.
